Wednesday, June 30, 2010

It’s no secret that I love mayonnaise, much to my mustard-loving family’s dismay. But when I was going through my collection of Great-Grandma Blanche’s handwritten recipes, I came across a dish called chicken mayonnaise and realized that this love had just skipped a few generations.

Chicken mayonnaise, as my great-grandma made it, was a concoction that involved, of course, lots of mayonnaise. But it also called for gelatin, nuts and a whole mess of other ingredients that when combined could stretch one small chicken into a feast that could easily serve 20.

“Perfect for that Fourth of July party,” I bet you’re thinking! Perhaps. But I decided to make another type of chicken mayonnaise instead.

Back in March, I had completely sworn off chicken after an encounter with a grocery-store rotisserie chicken left me in bed for three days. I wasn’t happy with this decision, as I adore chicken—be it fried, in tacos, in chicken and dumplings or in sour cream enchiladas. But, well, if you’ve ever suffered through the post-traumatic shock of a bad bout of food poisoning, you know how I felt.
A few weeks ago, however, I was forced to face my fear or go hungry. I was at a rooftop barbecue where a group of Texans were gathered around a smoker waiting for the day’s main event—a beautiful 12-pound slab of brisket. But brisket takes patience and so the host had thrown some chicken—which takes a lot less time to cook—into the pit to keep the guests satisfied as we waited for the brisket to finish.

The chicken came out fragrant with smoke and pepper. Everyone grabbed a piece and started gnawing away. And I decided to take the plunge and take a piece myself. I’m glad that I did—this chicken was a wonderful reintroduction to one of my favorite birds.

Now, about that chicken mayonnaise. While doing research for the book, I came across a recipe that called for a slather of mayonnaise on chicken breasts before baking or grilling as a means to both keep the chicken juicy and impart flavor. Intrigued by the concept, I blended mayonnaise with chipotle chiles, lime zest, cilantro and a pinch of cumin and then spread it on a mess of drumsticks. I baked them for a little under an hour, and they came out moist and spicy—I ate four in one sitting.

So I admit that this chicken mayonnaise may not be my great-grandma’s dish, but it’s still a fine and simple way to serve chicken to lots of guests as the mayonnaise does most of the work. And don’t worry if you’re a mayonnaise hater, you don’t taste it at all, it simply keeps the chicken tender and moist.

Yum! And yes, I knew *exactly* how you felt about chicken after your bout with food poisoning. I've been hospitalized a couple too many times for my liking (although it could also be that the food I'd consumed had mustard in it, of which the same reaction occurs since I'm allergic to it--much to the dismay of your mustard-loving family, ha!) I can't wait to try this technique and recipe on some chicken I have in the freezer!

Holy crap, I just found your site and am instantly wondering why have I not found this before! As a Texan who was once homesick but am now home, I can't wait to go through your entire index and try some of these amazing recipes. I will be back for more.

Lisa, What a wonderful, delicious-sounding recipe. Do you use dried chipotle chiles or the ones in the can with adobo sauce? I want to try this tomorrow but not sure what kind of chipotle to get. Thanks. Kimba

Cowgirl Chef--I almost didn't have enough mayo left over for the chicken I found it so darn tasty. And yes to the tomato sandwich. Heck, why not add some bacon and avocado to make your famous BLAT while you're at it? Yum!

Anon--I use canned. Thanks for noticing--I've updated the ingredients list.

Did you see the article on mayo in the Flavor section of the Houston Chronicle last week (6/23)? Can't wait to try your chicken and a recipe from the paper for Old Bay Mayonnaise. I'm a homesick MD girl living in TX:)

Oh no! So sorry to hear about your bad chicken experience. Can you share where it came from to protect fellow New Yorkers...eek. This recipe sounds like a great cross between old and new. And you're so right - mayo haters need to chill. They have no idea how many scrumptious chocolate cakes they've eaten with it in there;)

I'm always looking for a new drumstick recipe because they're always on sale. Thanks a million! I can't wait to smear mayo onto cold chicken skin! But don't take your contacts out afterwards...chipotle burns!

I love this idea. I too have a recipe that calls for a slathering of mayonnaise before cooking, why not spice it up with some of my favorite flavors. This will be on my weekend grilling menu. On another note, I love those rotisserie chickens and have always wondered how long they've been sitting there "warm". I think I'll stick to buying them when I know they've just come out.

Lisa, You recipe sounds amazing. I can't wait to try it. I buy rotisserie chickens all the time because I love the convenience, but after hearing about your horrible experience I think I'll start cooking my own again.

Chicken aside, I love the idea of chipotle mayonnaise. Now just add some cream cheese and crispy bacon pieces; heat and eat with a spoon, on top of a tater, or as a chicken wing dip. Now on to cooking up some spicy roasted mayo chicken.

In my family we have long slathered up our Thanksgiving turkey with mayonnaise. Last year I invited friends over and we each selected a dish or two to cook. I volunteered for the turkey as I had cooked it several times before and knew the secret...mayonnaise. I stuck my bird in a roasting bag, slathered it with mayonnaise, and sprinkled on some of my favorite spices (cumin, cayenne, and smoked paprika). All the while my guests were exclaiming GROSS! They changed their minds when they tasted my succulent turkey, yum! Thanks for sharing this mayonnaise revelation with the rest of the world!

I made this with boneless skinless thighs and breasts and it was WONDERFUL! I had some left over mayo and saved it to slather on the cooked chicken - YUMMY! This will definitely go in my book of favorite recipes!

Okay, since you've made the step to Mayonnaise Chicken, now you have to try Alabama White Barbeque Chicken, as popularized by Bob Gibson's BBQ. Amazing!! It's a sauce made of mayo, cider vinegar, cayenne, horseradish, black pepper, brushed on a chicken as it smokes, then extra sauce to dip. My mouth is watering as I think of it. I'll be making your drumsticks asap, but think I'll have to get me some wood chips and white bbq me up a bird.Thank you!!

I made this for dinner the other night and it was a revelation! The recipe is greasy, but if we only eat chicken like this once in a while I can certainly justify it. We aren't big fans of chipotle, so instead I diced up two hot orange peppers from my garden(no idea what they are), added lime juice and some garlic to make up for the lack of cilantro, and roasted the chicken thighs for 35 minutes. We ate it with a rice side and Bittman's Orange Black beans. Yum! Thanks so much for sharing! Can't wait for the book!

Thanks for this, Lisa. I have been trying spatchcocking (my new word of the week) whole birds and putting olive oil, garlic, lemon and herbs under the skin, tinfoiling bricks for flattening the fowl and grilling them over charcoal. This gives me a new blend of spices to try.

Lisa - this has become my go to chicken recipe. HEB has the leg quarters for $1. I do these and breasts, but I slather the mayo over and under the skin. Then we do them on the BBQ. They are great! I usually have some mayo left over - it's great on burgers and mixed with pimento cheese if you tone it down a bit. We'd love to see you if you get to Burnet!

What a great idea. I used the mayonnaise+seasoning concept and just whisked together 1/2 cup mayo, 1/4 cup chopped fresh mixed herbs (rosemary, oregano, and basil mostly), and 1 teaspoon lime juice. It was so moist and delicious! Thanks very much. I can see lots of variations on this in our future :)

Loved this recipe! I made the chipotle mayo a few days later and mixed it with shredded chicken, sauteed onions, and diced green peppers. I let it chill for awhile and served it with freshly sliced avocado on a torta roll. Fabulous chipotle chicken salad!